EDS UK is launching “12-24” (supported by The Ehlers-Danlos Society). This is a short film that marks the start of a major fundraising campaign to pay for research to test whether dietary changes can reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for people with EDS. Professor Qasim Aziz at Barts and The London School of Medicine & Dentistry has been caring for patients with EDS for many years. He has heard consistent stories of his patients’ symptoms improving with a change of diet. Some patients have improved a great deal and are living happy lives again. It’s now time to test, in a scientific study, whether changes in diet really can improve EDS symptoms – but we need to raise the funds for this to happen.

Why “12 – 24”? Because latest statistics show that on average EDS symptoms start at the age of 12 but the condition is not diagnosed until the age of 24. The “12-24” films introduce us to Ruby, Rudi, Lucy, Bethanie and Cat. They all have EDS, and their lives are tough. They tell their stories, which sadly, are very typical of many young people living with EDS.

The “12 to 24” film is a key part of the fundraising campaign to aid research into the value and impact of diet to relieve the symptoms of hypermobile EDS (hEDS). The campaign is led by David Teasdale, Ceri Teasdale and John Molyneux, working alongside The Ehlers-Danlos Support UK and The Ehlers-Danlos Society.